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In America, we value the principle of “one person, one vote.” We believe that everyone’s vote should matter. And we value smooth transitions from one presidential administration to the next. We don’t expect our candidates to win all the time, but we at least expect for everyone’s vote to count equally towards the results. Yet for presidential elections, we have a system that ignores this cherished principle. Instead of going by the national popular vote, we have a state-by-state, winner-take-a

Voters have the power to decide who wins on election day, but only a small percentage of them decide who will be on the ballot. For our democracy to not only survive, but thrive, voters must determine who runs as well as who wins. Small-dollar campaign financing in the form of Democracy dollars would go a long way towards building a truly equitable democracy and transforming our representation. When I meet with neighbors and community groups, we talk about the ideal candidate—the person who wou

On July 22, Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch made national news by filing a brief with the Supreme Court asking the justices to overturn Roe v. Wade, claiming the 1973 decision and the subsequent 1992 ruling in Planned Parenthood v. Casey were “egregiously wrong” as “both recognize a right that has no basis in the Constitution.”  She added, “It is time for the Court to set this right and return this political debate to the political branches of government.”  Days later, 228 Republican leg

After more than a year of economic suffering that has left millions of Americans reeling from the devastating effects of unemployment, the end finally appears to be in sight. While the upward trends that we are experiencing are certainly promising, there is a misguided misconception that there are already enough quality jobs out there, and employees simply need to return to work. Despite the progress we’ve made, we certainly aren’t out of the woods yet, and it is important that lawmakers continu

In a bipartisan vote, the Maine Legislature passed a bill Wednesday that implements a semi-open primary system, which will allow voters registered independent (32% of the registered electorate) to choose between a Republican or a Democratic primary ballot in future elections. “I am thrilled that my colleagues on both sides of the aisle joined me in supporting semi-open primaries,” said bill sponsor Senator Chloe Maxmin (D-Lincoln). “Enacting this common sense reform will align our democratic sy

United States Postal Service Governor Amber McReynolds joins T. J. O’Hara to discuss the challenges of the Postal Service, its role in facilitating in-home voting, and the 2020 election in general. As a former Director of Elections for the City and County of Denver, Colorado, and the CEO of the National Vote at Home Institute, Ms. McReynolds is one of our Nation’s leading experts on election policy and administration. She now turns her sights on restoring the USPS to its former level of excellen

Open San Diego is a volunteer organization that helps local government and community groups use technology to solve problems. The ten year-old group is one of over eighty chapters, called brigades, of Code for America, a national organization that shares the same mission on a state and national level. Represent San Diego, as part of the Voters Voice Initiatives coalition, has been a key partner in one of Open San Diego’s recent projects, San Diego Voters’ Voice Initiative Dashboard, an online t

It is only May and already 2021 has been a monumental year for ranked choice voting. Not only is RCV being used for the first time in New York City, but 23 Utah cities have passed ordinances to use it in upcoming elections. FairVote, the nation’s preeminent advocate for ranked choice voting, reports that the addition of 23 Utah cities more than doubles the number of upcoming mayoral races that will use RCV, and includes Salt Lake City and its population of 200,000 residents. The cities voted s

Editor's Note: This article originally appeared on The Fulcrum and has been republished on IVN with permission from the publisher. ‍ Iowa is already seeing the effects of the year's first Republican-driven curbs on voting. The state's elections administrator has told 294,000 Iowans they've been targeted for an eventual purge from the registration list — simply because they did not vote last year. GOP Secretary of State Paul Pate's office revealed this week that postcards have been mailed to

Editor's Note: This piece originally appeared in the Rapid City Journal and has been republished on IVN with permission from the author. ‍ I am a fourth generation South Dakotan and a lifelong Republican. I was once again disappointed last week as another legislative session came to an end marked by senseless disputes between far-right Republicans and their slightly more moderate brethren on issues of little importance to most of us. They debate issues like limiting the rights of the small num